Each week I will write about one or more players unfamiliar to many fantasy owners, but who have a chance to become worthwhile fantasy producers this season. I will not always recommend them as immediate waiver-wire pickups, but I do recommend knowing who they are and following their weekly progress.

Randy Hymes, WR, Ravens

Randy Hymes was on more than his fair share of sleeper lists early in the 2003 offseason, but his season ended before it started when he tore an ACL in August. He will have a chance to show his stuff in the next few weeks as he starts in place of Travis Taylor, who injured his groin in the opener.

Hymes is a big, physical receiver with good strength and excellent hands. He has adequate speed for a possession receiver, but is not much of a deep threat. He can make the spectacular catch, and will hold onto the ball in traffic. Hymes is a terrific overall athlete: he played quarterback in college for Grambling State University, and also played on the basketball and track and field teams (long jump).

Hymes should benefit in the next few weeks not only from the absence of Travis Taylor, but also from the loss of Todd Heap. With Heap out of the lineup, Hymes' strength and physical style of play makes him the natural candidate to take over many of Heap's short routes over the middle. Hymes had five catches on seven targets in week one against the Browns. In week two he was again targeted seven times, finishing with three catches, not including a would-be touchdown reception off a flea-flicker that was called back when Kevin Johnson was penalized for illegal motion.

It is noteworthy that Hymes got 41% (7 out of 17) of his team's targets last week. With Heap and Taylor temporarily out of the lineup, somebody has to catch the ball, and given the lack of All-Pro receivers on the Ravens, Hymes might end up being the best candidate.

If Hymes does well with his opportunities in the next few weeks, he will cement his role in the offense and should continue to get targets even after Travis Taylor and Todd Heap come back. That's no guarantee of fantasy success, of course, but there is enough upside potential here to warrant a roster spot in deeper leagues. In most leagues, he is probably not worth picking up this week (unless you have dead space on your roster to release for him), but if he has a good game against the Bengals, make sure to keep an eye on him going forward. If he plays his way into a permanent starting role, he will have fantasy value.

Note that, as a possession receiver, Hymes will have more value in point-per-reception leagues than in other leagues. His yards-per-catch will stay on the low side, but he could rack up a lot of receptions on shorter underneath routes.

Bobby Wade, WR, Bears

Early in the offseason, when it appeared that Marty Booker had one starting spot locked up, most people figured the other starting WR position would be filled by either David Terrell or Justin Gage. Bobby Wade, however, has surpassed the promising Gage on the depth chart, and has taken over Marty Booker's flanker position now that Booker is a Dolphin (with David Terrell starting at split end). Wade's progress, in fact, is one of the reasons the Bears were willing to trade Booker. "In order to make a trade like this you have to feel comfortable with the other receivers that you have," Lovie Smith said.

Booker had 249 receptions over the last three years, so his departure creates opportunities for Terrell and Wade to pick up a lot of slack.

Terrell had the big game in week one, hauling in five receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown. He had nine targets to Wade's three. In week two, that ratio was reversed as Wade had six targets to Terrell's two.

And so it may go over the course of the season, with a different receiver earning the most targets each week. Since most of you are already familiar with David Terrell, I will give you the lowdown on Bobby Wade.

Terrell and Wade compliment each other's games quite nicely. While David Terrell is one of the better pure athletes in the league, Wade relies more on technique and fundamentals. He doesn't have great size or speed, but he is a quick receiver with very good route-running skills and hands. He may struggle against more physical corners, but the league's emphasis on enforcing illegal contact penalties this year should benefit him.

Wade may also benefit from Terrell's inconsistency. While Terrell has much more big-play ability than Wade, Wade could prove the more reliable of the two and could become the go-to receiver in crucial third-down situations. It doesn't hurt that Wade and quarterback Rex Grossman developed some chemistry last year in practice while working on the scout team.

My advice on Bobby Wade is twofold

1. Keep him on your watch list as a possible waiver-wire pickup if it looks like the Bears' offense is starting to heat up. If Rex Grossman starts passing for more than 220 yards on a regular basis (he had 227 in week one but only 132 in week two), Wade will have enough good weeks to make him a viable WR3 in twelve-team leagues.



2. Do not overpay for him after a single hot week. The nature of offensive coordinator Terry Shea's offense is such that a different receiver - including the tight end and running back - could end up being featured every game. "You'll see a receiver catch two balls one game and he may come back and catch eight the next game," Shea said. So a 100-yard game isn't necessarily a sign of consistent future greatness; it may just be an indication that it was his turn that week.